Английская Википедия:French cruiser Descartes

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Descartes was the lead ship of the Шаблон:Sclass of protected cruisers built for the French Navy in the 1890s. The Descartes-class cruisers were ordered as part of a construction program directed at strengthening the fleet's cruiser force. At the time, France was concerned with the growing naval threat of the Italian and German fleets, and the new cruisers were intended to serve with the main fleet, and overseas in the French colonial empire. Descartes was armed with a main battery of four [[Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893|Шаблон:Cvt guns]], was protected by an armor deck that was Шаблон:Cvt thick, and was capable of steaming at a top speed of Шаблон:Convert.

Descartes served overseas in French Indochina for much of her career, being sent there immediately after entering service in 1897. She was present in the region during the Boxer Uprising in Qing China in 1900. After returning to France in 1902, she was assigned to the North Atlantic station with several other cruisers. The ship made a second deployment to East Asia in 1905, later being briefly stationed in Madagascar in 1907, before returning for a tour with the Mediterranean Squadron that year. Descartes was then transferred to the Northern Squadron. By 1914, the ship was operating with the Шаблон:Lang (Division of the Atlantic) and was in Central American waters when World War I started in July. She joined the unsuccessful search for the German cruiser Шаблон:SMS in August, and spent the next three years patrolling the West Indies. She was decommissioned and disarmed in 1917, her guns being used as field artillery and to arm patrol vessels. She was struck from the naval register in 1920 and sold to ship breakers the following year.

Design

Шаблон:Main

Файл:Descartes class drawing.jpg
Plan and profile drawing of the Descartes class

In response to a war scare with Italy in the late 1880s, the French Navy embarked on a major construction program in 1890 to counter the threat of the Italian fleet and that of Italy's ally Germany. The plan called for a total of seventy cruisers for use in home waters and overseas in the French colonial empire. The Descartes class—Descartes and Шаблон:Ship—was ordered to as part of the program.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The design for the Descartes class was based on the earlier cruiser Шаблон:Ship, but was enlarged to incorporate a more powerful gun armament.Шаблон:Sfn

Descartes was Шаблон:Cvt long overall, with a beam of Шаблон:Cvt and an average draft of Шаблон:Cvt. She displaced Шаблон:Cvt as designed. Her crew varied over the course of her career, and consisted of 383–401 officers and enlisted men. The ship's propulsion system consisted of a pair of triple-expansion steam engines driving two screw propellers. Steam was provided by sixteen coal-burning Belleville-type water-tube boilers that were ducted into two funnels. Her machinery was rated to produce Шаблон:Convert for a top speed of Шаблон:Convert, but she exceeded these figures on trials, reaching Шаблон:Convert from Шаблон:Cvt.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn She had a cruising radius of Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert and Шаблон:Cvt at 19.5 knots.Шаблон:Sfn

The ship was armed with a main battery of four [[Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893|Шаблон:Cvt guns]]. They were placed in individual sponsons clustered amidships, two guns per broadside. These were supported by a secondary battery of ten [[Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891|Шаблон:Cvt guns]], which were carried in sponsons, casemates, and individual pivot mounts. For close-range defense against torpedo boats, she carried eight [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|Шаблон:Cvt 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns]] and four [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|Шаблон:Cvt 1-pounder guns]]. She was also armed with two Шаблон:Cvt torpedo tubes in her hull above the waterline. Armor protection consisted of a curved armor deck that was Шаблон:Cvt thick on its sloped sides and Шаблон:Cvt on the flat portion, along with Шаблон:Cvt plating on the sides of the conning tower. The main and secondary guns were fitted with Шаблон:Cvt gun shields.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Modifications

Descartes underwent a series of modifications over the course of her construction and career. While the ship was being built in June 1893, the originally planned Шаблон:Cvt torpedo tubes were replaced with 356 mm tubes. In June 1894, the military masts that had been intended to be installed were cancelled in favor of lighter pole masts. And in late 1896, while she was still undergoing her initial testing, her funnels were shortened by Шаблон:Cvt.Шаблон:Sfn

In 1908, she had her torpedo tubes removed. Her forward set of boilers were limited to Шаблон:Cvt after a boiler explosion killed a crewman. A second accident with one of her aft boilers the following year prompted those to be modified to the lower pressure in 1909. During World War I, the ship progressively lost most of her armament as guns were removed for other purposes. Two of her 47 mm guns and two 37 mm guns were placed ashore in Fort de France to strengthen the harbor defenses in 1916. Early the next year, two of her 100 mm guns were removed to be installed aboard the cruiser Шаблон:Ship, and then in March, she was almost entirely disarmed so those guns could be used in other ships or converted into field artillery. At that time, she retained only the forward two 164.7 mm guns and two 37 mm guns.Шаблон:Sfn

Service history

Descartes was built by the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire shipyard in Nantes;Шаблон:Sfn she was ordered on 17 August 1892 and her keel was laid down in late January 1893. She was launched on 27 September 1894, and after completing fitting out, she was moved to Brest on 3 February 1896. She was commissioned to begin sea trials there on 12 February. On 28 August, she sailed to Cherbourg to be present for the visit of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia the following day.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn During her initial trials, Descartes reportedly reached a top speed of Шаблон:Convert. The ship was found to suffer from stability problems and had to receive additional ballast to correct the problem.Шаблон:Sfn Her funnels were also altered. She was decommissioned at Brest for the modifications to be carried out. After this work was completed, Descartes was placed in full commission on 1 January 1897.Шаблон:Sfn She was immediately deployed to the colony of French Indochina in Southeast Asia, departing on 25 January.Шаблон:Sfn There, she joined the old ironclad Шаблон:Ship, the protected cruiser Шаблон:Ship, and the unprotected cruiser Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

With the beginning of the unrest in 1898 that led to the Boxer Uprising in Qing China, many European colonial powers began to reinforce their naval forces in East Asia. The French squadron was accordingly strengthened by DescartesШаблон:'s sister ship Pascal, Шаблон:Ship, and the unprotected cruiser Шаблон:Ship; the latter two replaced Isly and Éclaireur.Шаблон:Sfn Descartes remained in East Asian waters in 1899, along with Pascal and Duguay-Trouin, though Jean Bart was recalled home.Шаблон:Sfn On 25 October 1900, an accidental propellant fire occurred aboard Descartes, part of a series of fires that resulted from unstable Шаблон:Lang charges.Шаблон:Sfn Descartes and Pascal had been deployed to East Asia by January 1901 as part of the response to the Boxer Uprising; at that time, seven other cruisers were assigned to the station in addition to the two Descartes-class ships.Шаблон:Sfn In early 1902, she was serving with the North Atlantic station, serving with the cruisers Шаблон:Ship, Шаблон:Ship, and Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:Sfn But in February that year, she was placed in reserve at Toulon, and she remained out of service through August 1904.Шаблон:Sfn

After returning to service that year, Descartes returned for another tour in the Far East. On the voyage there, she escorted the destroyers Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship and ten torpedo boats.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn In May 1906, Descartes visited Nanking, laying there on the 18th in company with the Italian cruiser Шаблон:Ship and the German gunboat Шаблон:SMS.Шаблон:Sfn She remained there through 1907, by which time the unit consisted of the large protected cruiser Шаблон:Ship, the armored cruisers Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship, and the smaller protected cruisers Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship. During the year, Descartes was detached from the main squadron to patrol the East Indies,Шаблон:Sfn based in Madagascar. She returned to France later that year for service with the Mediterranean Squadron,Шаблон:Sfn but upon being recommissioned at Toulon on 5 December, she was assigned to the newly created 3rd Division of the Northern Squadron, along with the cruiser Шаблон:Ship and the armored cruiser Шаблон:Ship.Шаблон:Sfn In 1908, Descartes was used to support the gunnery school aboard the old ironclad Шаблон:Ship and later the training ship Шаблон:Ship. Descartes was replaced by the coastal defense ship Шаблон:Ship in January 1910.Шаблон:Sfn Descartes then returned to the Northern Squadron in 1911 and she was assigned to patrolling the fishing grounds off Newfoundland.Шаблон:Sfn

Beginning in 1912, Descartes was stationed in the Caribbean Sea, where she would remain for the next four years.Шаблон:Sfn By 1914, Descartes was assigned to the Шаблон:Lang (Division of the Atlantic), along with the armored cruiser Шаблон:Ship and the protected cruiser Шаблон:Ship. Descartes and Condé had been at Veracruz, Mexico, on 30 July when they were recalled home as World War I broke out in Europe. The declaration of war between France and Germany on 4 August interrupted these plans, and the next day, the French ships were assigned to the British 4th Cruiser Squadron to join the unsuccessful hunt for the German light cruiser Шаблон:SMS, which was known to be in the area.Шаблон:Sfn She patrolled the West Indies from 1914 to 1917; during this period she was involved in two collisions with merchant vessels. The first was with the Spanish freighter Telesfora and the second was with the British steamer Шаблон:SS. After returning home in February 1917, she was placed in reserve in Lorient and was she was decommissioned on 15 June. There, she was disarmed. Her 164 mm guns were converted for use by the French Army, while the 100 mm guns were used to arm anti-submarine patrol vessels. The ship was then converted into a mooring hulk, replacing the old armored cruiser Шаблон:Ship on 28 August 1918. Descartes was eventually stricken from the naval register on 10 May 1920 and sold to the ship breaker M. Jacquart on 10 May 1921 to be scrapped.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Notes

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References

Шаблон:Descartes class cruiser

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